The collection was the brainchild of 10-year-old Keaton Peppiat, who attends Kicks Martial Arts Club at All Souls Church in Susans Road.

He asked his friends at the club to donate sweets and toiletries which will be sent on to servicemen and women in the war-torn region through the Thank The Forces organisation in Polegate run by Sue Smith.

Sue, whose son has recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, collected the goodies from Keaton and club members recently.

Sue said she was touched by the generosity and paid tribute to Keaton's efforts collecting treats.

He has already collected 50 tubes of toothpaste from his dentist, sweets, toiletries and snacks from his friends and helped made up 20 boxes of goodies that were sent to British soldiers.

He also made up party bags from sweets he received from his recent 10th birthday and sent them, given a talk in his school assembly about Thank The Forces.

Sue said, "Keaton heard his mum talking about Thank the Forces. He has never met a soldier but wants to join the Army when he leaves school. He is a fantastic boy and we thank him for all his hard work. We are very proud of him.

"Keaton has received lots of letters from soldiers including a General, a Lieutenant Colonel, and numerous soldiers praising him for his support and telling him he is their hero. The soldiers have sent him gifts of a T-shirt, a wristband and photographs from Afghanistan."